Poker Run is an annual fundraiser organized by Peterson Harley that takes thousands of bikers on a 128-mile journey along the Overseas Highway (US Highway 1) from Miami Florida down to the continental United States' southernmost island, Key West Florida. 2020 Key West Poker Run: Gallery 6 - Saturday Party - Florida Powerboat Club The activities continued into our Saturday night party as we went into the night with the poker run awards ceremony. The FPC girls gave out awards for the most impressive boats as well as top-notch teams. Florida Powerboat Club Key West Poker Run: 230 Boats And Counting Speed on the Water. Marco Island to Key West: Boarding begins at 7:00AM. Boarding required no later than 7:45AM. (8:00AM departure) Key West to Ft. Myers Beach: Boarding begins at 4:30PM. Boarding required no later than 5:30PM. (6:00PM departure) Key West to Marco Island: Boarding begins at 4:00PM. Boarding required no later than 4:30PM.

Stu Jones, leader of the Florida Powerboat Club, says he is “picking up all the pieces” following his epic Key West Poker Run that took well over 200 teams from Miami to the USA’s Southernmost city for six days of fun, sun and Race World Offshore‘s Key West Offshore World Championships. Jones also revealed his group’s 2020 schedule, which will closely mirror this year’s itinerary. (See below for the complete schedule.)

Jones said the 2019 poker run season outpaced previous years, and credited the strong economy for the growth.

“This year turned out to be really successful, in that we launched a lot of new events and we set records on some of our bigger events, like the Key West Poker Run,” he says. “I think it reflects the state of the economy being at a very high level. The sport continues to grow, just because it’s a great sport and a great way to enjoy performance boating. We’re getting more people coming into this sector, and that’s why these events have become more successful. Seeing Key West go to record numbers, and going off without a hitch, was a real highlight.”

It’s been just about a decade since Jones operated his ubiquitous pace boat, 39′ Nor-Tech King of Clubs, which was a familiar fixture on FPC’s numerous runs through the years. This year, Jones could be seen driving his Project 1080 Cigarette (showcased in the May issue of Speedboat Magazine) during nearly every one of his group’s events, which was another red-banner moment.

Miami To Key West Boat Poker Runs

“We put in 150 hours on the boat from January to November,” he reports. “That was a highlight for sure. The fact that I could start enjoying these poker runs in my own boat put a different slant on it for me and made them more enjoyable. Certainly one of the reasons it made my Key West run more fun is that I was able to drive my own boat all the way there and all the way back, and I haven’t been able to do that for a long time.”

The Cigarette project boat celebrates the club’s 25th anniversary and perfectly captures the whole spirit of what the poker runs are for Jones. “It was truly special for me,” he says, “and I think it was one of the reasons I really enjoyed the 2019 Key West run.”

Jones says that the international participation at his club’s events continues to expand, “not only from Canada, which has always been strong, but European boaters are making transatlantic crossings, putting their boats on freighters and bringing them over here for the season to enjoy,” he says. “We had about 10 teams this year from European nations—all of them had brought their boats over for this event.”

With more participants than ever, the onus was on FPC to give away a colossal amount of shirts and other goodies. “It all goes bye-bye at Key West—we finish it off there,” he grins. “There might’ve been a few things left over. Smalls and mediums.”

COMMENTS

22^nd Annual Key West Poker Run:

The Key West Poker Run is November 4 -10, 2014! Boaters from around the world will be converging on South Florida to make the 170 mile run from Miami to Key West. Participants will race to several checkpoints throughout the scenic Florida Keys (including Key Largo, Islamorada, and Marathon) to collect their poker playing cards, refuel, and socialize.

Miami To Key West Poker Run

The big thrill of the Poker Run comes during the final leg of the run, from the Bahia Honda Bridge to Key West. The performance boats throttle up and demonstrate their capabilities, many traveling at speeds well over 100 mph. Pace boats are present to maintain safety and helicopters fly overhead to record the excitement. Some of the fastest performers, such as Nortech boats, reach speeds so fast that the helicopters can’t even keep up with them!

Need a Boat for the Poker Run??

The 50 Nortech Roadster 2009 is your boat!

The owner of the 50 Nortech has been active in performance boating since the late 1970s. His current boat, the 50 Nortech Roadster 2009 “Gold Rush” is fitted with quadruple 1150 hp engines which, operating on 89 octane, run at an impressive 168 mph at 5400 RPMs. The life expectancy of these engines is much higher than most competitors because she is built to run on 89 Octane at lower RPMs. These particular engines currently have only 35 hours. Being a heavier boat, this 50 Roadster is safer to handle than much of her competition. The current owner is comfortable handling the boat at 125 mph with his family. For poker runs, at speeds in excess of 160 mph, a throttle man is highly recommended in addition to the driver. With her catamaran hull, she performs faster than mono-hulls in the calm waters due to more air lift and less drag.

“Gold Rush” is stored in an indoor garage in Southwest Florida. She is well maintained and operated at regular intervals to ensure she is meeting optimum performance. “Gold Rush” seats up to 6 passengers in her custom Connolly Leather seats. Her owner has had a change in plans and is ready to sell. All reasonable offers are encouraged!

Miami To Key West Boat Poker Runabout

Asking $695,000. Contact Joe Marino 954-328-2059 or joe@ayssales.com